The Effects of Divorce and Maternal Employment on the Home Environments of Preschool Children

Abstract

MACKINNON, CAROL E.; BRODY, GENE H.; and STONEMAN, ZOLINDA. The Effects of Divorce and Maternal Employment on the Home Environments of Preschool Children. CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1982, 53, 1392-1399. The present study examined the home environments of children whose mothers were married/working, married/nonworking, or divorced/working. The sample consisted of 60 families, with children from 3 to 6 years of age. The HOME (Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment) Inventory was administered to assess the amount of cognitive and social stimulation in the children's homes. The home environments of children from divorced/working homes were found to be less cognitively and socially stimulating than those of married homes. The degree of sex typing in the children's rooms was assessed, using the Rheingold and Cook Checklist. The toys and furnishings provided for children by their parents, families, and friends were found to be different for boys and girls. Additionally, children from the married/working and divorced/working homes had slightly less sex-typed rooms than did children from married/nonworking homes. Results were discussed in relation to literature in the area.